Drowning in the Blue
by Kayla2175
Summary: Welcome, viewers, to the 71st Annual Hunger Games. As Marena works her way through training, costumes, and the other tributes, she realizes she has her work cut out for her.
1. Wherein I get sent to my death

Hello to the community of Fanfiction and welcome to chapter one of Drowning in the Blue! Here you will revel in the fantastic horror of the 71st Annual Hunger Games. Also, I wrote a one shot starring Marena's stylist, so you can read that if you want. Without further ado, Let The Games Begin!

...

Marena's POV

The District 4 Reapings are a dull affair. You went, heard the tributes names called, and then walked home. Nothing so special. None the less, my mother decided that I should wear my best clothes. They were nothing fancy, just a black skirt with a short sleeved blue top that had lace designs on it, but...Mom liked them so that's what I wore.

Mom, Dad, and I walked down to the square at Reaping time and I proceeded to join my fellow 17 year old tributes-in-waiting. Not long after we arrived, our escort, Michael, strode onto the stage. I observed at him with a look of utter disgust, not only because he was from the Capitol, but also because of his outfit. It was a one piece suit with a horrific plunging neckline that was covered in blue glitter. He had dyed his blond hair blue and green and finished off the sparkly mess with even more glitter. Ugh! Capitol people. I have never seen someone look so terrible in glitter.

"Welcome!" he said with far too much enthusiasm for this occasion, "to the Reapings of the 71st Annual Hunger Games!" He wore a huge grin on his face, which no one returned. He then thought it was a good idea to give us a stupid speech ending with the line, "May the odds be ever in your favor!" He strutted over to the large glass bowl containing the boys names and drew one straight from the top. "Dylan Rika!" I saw a young boy, fourteen at most, walk up to the stage and stand by Michael. He seemed terrified and I followed his gaze towards his family. His mother had started to sob into her husband's shoulder. Michael clapped in excitement, completely oblivious to the pain he had just caused this family, and moved towards the bowl containing the girls names. This time he dug around in the bowl for a minute before he pulled out a slip of paper. My name was in there quite a few times, due to the fact that we never had enough food in the house, in addition to the six original slips. There was a very high chance that I would be picked. As I waited, nerves began to rip my original confidence into shreds. He stood behind the microphone, taking his precious, sweet time and then unfolded the slip. "Marena Talisa!"

After hearing my name, I moved toward the stage, mixed emotions battling in my head. On one hand these games could be a benefit for my family and my district. On the other hand, I could be dead in a week. I walked up the steps confidently and went to stand next to Dylan. "Let's hear it for this year's tributes!" Michael cheered. A smattering of applause was heard in the square...and then we were dragged back into the Justice building.

Both of my parents walked into the room at the same time. Mom looked ready to cry and Dad was holding her by the shoulder. I stood up and walked over towards them. "You do know what happens if I win these games right? We get a new house and lots of money! And with lots of money you can get lots of food. We can get you new boots," I informed my Dad. " And we can get you new clothes," I turned to Mom. She nodded looking up with a small smile on her face. Mom and Dad embraced me and told me they were proud of me and that they would be waiting at the train station for my return. This gave me hope knowing that they believed I could win. Then Michael walked in and told me that we had to leave for the Capitol at once. I turned back to my parents kissing them both on the cheek. I rolled my eyes at Michael before turning and walking out of the room.

The moment I stepped on the train, I was hit by a blast of cold air that felt refreshing in the sweltering outside conditions. The train started moving not a second after Michael closed the door. He ushered us into a different car that contained table after table of sweets. I sat down in an ugly, overstuffed chair, not quite sure what to do next. Michael looked at Dylan and I excitedly and proclaimed in his high pitched Capitol voice," We'll be in the Capitol in no time so sit back and relax!" As if we could... Knowing that I would be here for hours, I began to search the train, going through every car that I was allowed in. It was easily the most lavish thing I had ever seen, but, nothing but the best for the tributes. After hours of searching through every train car,out of boredom, I made my way toward my room, the days search holding nothing interesting.

Later that night, as I lay I in a bed that was twice the size of my room back home, the nerves finally began to set in. My thoughts then turned to Dylan and how he must be feeling at only fourteen and the nervousness I felt for myself soon turned to pity for him. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep, both excited and nervous for the Capitol.

...

Here ends the first chapter! I would like to thank my beta reader, BlackTiger6! Updates will be scattered throughout the week due to the fact that I am writing this for Camp Nanowrimo which means I have to write 10,000 words this month, so bear with me. I could update one or two chapters a week.


	2. Ooooh! Parade!

Hello and welcome to chapter 2! Enjoy the parade!

...

When I woke up the next morning I almost felt like I was at home. Then I felt the real silk sheets and remembered the previous day's events. Pulling myself out of bed, I walked over to the closet and opened the door. The wave of blue clothing hit me in full force. The Capitol did not seem to realize that, just because we were from District 4 does not mean that we only wore blue. Actually, the only blue shirt I have ever worn was the shirt I wore when I was Reaped. I looked around for the shirt but found it nowhere in sight. Sighing, I looked back at the closet. If I was going to win these games I had to make the Capitol love me in one of the only ways I could. My appearance. I pulled a short, close-fitting, turquoise dress out of the closet and strode toward the bathroom. I nearly jumped when I saw myself in the mirror. My hair was sticking up and looked like a bird's nest. I jumped in the shower, hoping to relieve myself of my nasty bed head.

After I had spent over an hour drying and curling my long, brown, hair, I eyed over at the dress. Even though I would usually never wear something like it, it was beautiful. I pulled it on and walked out into my bedroom to see myself in the floor to ceiling mirror that took the place of one wall. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly. The dress ended right above my knees and was strapless with a sweetheart neckline. I twirled, something I had previously done only once, when I was five and had found Mom's wedding dress. I felt nostalgia wash over me, because yesterday was probably the last time I would ever see my parents again. Pushing my mind away from sorrowful thoughts, I turned my attention back to the dress.

Feeling satisfied with the dress I strutted back to the closet and found a huge assortment of shoes, all blue of course. Sighing, I pulled out a pair of flats and slipped them on before sashaying out of the room and into the dining car. Dylan was already there,sitting at the table with Michael and our mentor,. They all looked up as I entered the car, Dylan looking a tad starstruck. Michael looked twice and mentioned,"You know, I think you're the only tribute in years who has actually worn something nice to greet the Capitol."

"I need help to survive these games. If I can get people to like me I can get me sponsors. Sponsors can get me things that can save my life, like water," I explained, holding up a glass and purposefully spilling some on Michael's lap. Dylan laughed as he scowled at me. I had to try very hard to suppress a laugh at his expression; his scowl was bright blue along with the rest of him. Suddenly Michael dropped the scowl, clapped and jumped out of his seat. "We're here!" he sang. I too jumped out of my chair, excited to finally see the Capitol. The train slid to a halt and Michael, Dylan and I walked out into the sunlit platform of the Capitol.

As soon as I stepped off the platform, cheers erupted all around me. I smiled at the Capitol residents and waved. They reached out hands, that I shook, and crowded around us. I gave hugs, blew kisses, shook hands, and accepted a flower from one little boy. All the while Dylan stood with Michael as they tried to push out of the crowd. Not a minute later the District 5 train appeared and the surge of people turned away as they went to cheer on the new tributes. Michael moved us towards a car that he said would take us to the tribute building where we would meet our stylists. The ride was short and I made the most of it, rolling down the window and waving at people or just looking on as the exquisite buildings flew by.

Not two hours later, I was sitting in a white room waiting for my stylist to arrive. I had spent the last couple of hours sitting as my prep team readied my hair and makeup for the parade. They had redone my hair and had dyed the tips a very strong blue color. They had asked me if I wanted it permanently. I told them yes. The color was beautiful and it went great with my dark hair. They had then added a decent amount of makeup including vivid blue lipstick, eyeshadow, and nail polish. Now I sat looking at the rack across the room from me that held, what I assumed was my costume. I was about to go and sneak a look, when the door opened and a man walked in. He was at least a foot taller than me with short blond hair and swirling purple tattoos running up his arms. He was wearing a green button down shirt with black pants that had blue running through them. He was almost more odd looking thank Michael. Almost. I stood up and greeted him, "Hi!" I said, " You must be my stylist."

"You have a surprisingly good attitude about this," he observed.

I gave him a sad smile, thinking back to the Justice Building and said wistfully ,"I come from a poor family and if I win these games I can help them. They need the money so I'm trying as hard as I can to come out victorious." He nodded, as if he actually understood what going to bed hungry felt like, and told me that lunch was waiting for us.

All hatred of my stylist, his name was Nalix, vanished when he showed me my costume. The costume had two pieces, a short, long sleeved top that was cut off a few inches above the waist and had a low cut neckline, and a long skirt that billowed out in different shades of blues and brown. He helped me dress in the impossibly tight shirt that dropped off my shoulders and the skirt that probably weighed more than me. The only thing that confused me was the brown that ran through the skirt. When I asked him he explained," It symbolizes impurities as in, something as simple as dirty water or something huge like these games." I nodded, realizing that maybe he wasn't such a bad person after all. He walked away leaving me to admire the costume. I twirled again in the mirror watching as the skirt billowed out making it look as if water was falling off of me. He came back holding a black box that he opened to show an array of blue jewelry. He gave me a ring that was multiple shades of twisted blue sapphire, a set of blue hoop earrings, a chain necklace that had brown links scattered throughout, and two blue cuff bracelets. The last thing he pulled out of the box was a crown of woven blue metal that was made to look like waves.

Suddenly a voice called out over the loud speaker," Ten minutes until the parade starts." Nalix said that we should head down to the carriages. He held the door for me and we walked out.

As we entered the carriage room, I saw the other tributes for the first time. I walked past them giving smiles out to everyone. The boy from District 2 glanced over and smiled back so I blew him a kiss before turning away and sauntered up to Dylan and his stylist. Allies, I thought, I needed allies. As we neared them Nalix gave me advice for the parade. " You need to make them happy. Wave, smile, blow kisses, what ever. Just entertain them." he ordered.

I nodded. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get out of these games," I promised him coldly. And I believed myself with not even a hint of doubt.

"One minute until the parade starts. Please enter your carriages," the voice echoed through the loud speaker. I placed a foot in the carriage and took the offered hand from Dylan. "Don't be afraid," I soothed. "Pretend it's just a regular parade. Do what I do." As we rolled out I smiled and then we were in view of the Capitol. I grinned and waved and blew kisses just like I did at the train station and Dylan did the same. We continued all the way through the parade and I only relaxed when we were back in the carriage room.

When I stepped out of the carriage, I went over and hugged Nalix and said softly, "I could be dead in the next week because of these games, but I've never felt more beautiful in my life." As I was walking away I barely heard him say, " Stay alive and you will always be beautiful." I smiled when I heard that.

As I walked out of the room, I headed toward the elevator, tired from the day's travels and the parade. When I got in the elevator I saw the boy from District 2 was there. I gave him a flirtatious smile as the elevator began to move. He informed me as he looked over my costume, "You know, low cut shirts fit you well."

"And aren't you dashing?" I flirted, barely able to suppress an eye roll. He grinned.

"Why, thank you," He leaned against the hand-rails. "You're not so bad yourself, 4."

"Is that a compliment, 2?" A corner of my mouth quirked up.

He flashed me a dazzling smile as the elevator pulled to a halt. "You betcha. See you at training," he called over his shoulder as he walked off the elevator and onto his District's floor. When he was gone I fell back against the wall. Honestly? Flirting has got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever done. But, now I have the Careers. I smirked as I walked off the elevator onto my floor to be greeted by Michael saying how wonderful I was. I nodded absentmindedly, and told him that I was going to sleep.

I walked into my room and shut the door. The skirt was beginning to feel like it was pulling me apart so I took that off the minute I had the door shut. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, or my waist. I grabbed a silk nightgown out of my dresser and went into the bathroom to take a shower, in hopes that somehow I might be blue to rid myself of makeup and hairspray.

When I was just getting out, I heard a knock on my door. "One minute!" I yelled as I slipped on the nightgown and shook some of the water out of my hair. When I opened the door I saw Dylan standing there. I stepped into the hallway and asked," what is it?" He looked a bit embarrassed as he replied," Thanks for helping me today. With the parade."

"No problem," I responded. "If you need anything, you know where I am." He nodded and walked down the hall back to his room. As I watched him leave, I realized that he would probably be dead soon. I walked back into my room, that thought haunting my mind. I flopped down onto the bed and shut the lights off with a clap of my hands. Today had been the busiest day of my life and there was still more to come.

...

Thanks to my beta, BlackTiger6! New chapter coming soon!


	3. I can throw knives! Kind of

Chapter 3 is here! Sorry about the weird update times. I haven't been able to access the site in a few weeks.

...

Today marked the first day of training, so here I stood, surrounded by the other tributes and listening to Atala give her speech about not killing each other yet. "There will be plenty of time for that later," she finished and waved us away.

The Careers automatically moved towards the weapons, the other tributes nervously shying away from them. I looked over at Dylan who was still standing next to me. "Where do you want to go?" I asked him. He looked around at all the survival stations, trying to find one to go to. My eyes fell on the vacant knife throwing station. "Let's go throw knives at stuff," I proposed, walking to the targets. I remembered a few months ago when I started getting bored when I came home from school. I started throwing kitchen knives at the wall, and overtime, I began hitting the same place over and over again. I picked up a set of knives thinking, how different can it be?I stepped up, drew my arm back, and threw. The knife spun, landing half a foot from the center. I sighed. I needed some serious work.

"Wow," Dylan said, impressed even though the knife was off.

"Why don't you give it a try?" I told him. He looked at the target and then down at the knife in his hand. Then he threw the knife as hard as he could. It wedged itself into the edge of the target with an audible twang. "You have an insanely strong arm," I praised, looking impressed. "If you can just learn to control your throw, you could be a formidable opponent." He looked pleased at that comment. Dylan spent the rest of the day throwing knives while I traveled around learning various skills like building fires and defining edible plants. With half an hour left, I walked back over to Dylan who had been joined by the girl from six and the boy from two whose name I had finally learned was, Jordan. Ignoring both of them, I stepped up next to Dylan. I felt eyes on me as I threw the knives in quick succession at the targets hanging on the ceiling. I threw five more sets before the end of training. As Atala called the end, I smiled at Jordan before walking out of the door.

...

On the second day, I dragged myself out of bed at six thirty and dressed in the same plain shirt and pants as yesterday. Dylan was already sitting at the long dining table when I walked out for breakfast. "How long have you been up?" I inquired, curious.

"Since about two this morning," he responded, turning back to his breakfast of pancakes and bacon. I grabbed a plate, piling it with bacon, hash browns, and an assortment of fruit. I sat across from him and hurriedly ate so we would be at training on time.

"At lunch," I told him, "Were going to sit with the careers and try to get into the pack. It shouldn't be too hard with our knife throwing skills and the fact that Jordan has seemed to take a liking to me," I said, rolling my eyes and making a gagging noise. Dylan started laughing, dropping his fork on the floor. I laughed too the first time since I had gotten to the Capitol that I felt truly happy.

"Come on. We can't be late for training." I highly doubted the Capitol would like me skipping the first day. Yeah, tempting, right?

...

When we got to the training room, most of the tributes had started to arrive. Dylan walked straight to the knife throwing station, but I walked over to the arena where an instructor was showing Aline, the girl from two, and Rebecca and Jacob, from one, how to wield a sword. I walked up, Aline complimenting me on my knife throwing skills. I thanked her and picked up a sword off of the rack and turned to the instructor.

Maybe seven hours later, Atala called us out for lunch. I set down my sword, thoroughly exhausted from sparring with with Jacob, and walked out with Rebecca, making small talk. I motioned for Dylan to come over and he joined us as we walked up to a cart of different types of bread and grabbed plates.

"So, how do you like the Capitol?" Rebecca questioned, grabbing a delicious looking role. My mouth watered.

I swallowed and snatched up a slice of a bluish bread. "Fancy. Probably the best I've ever eaten."

Rebecca laughed, throwing back her head. "You got that right. After this, I don't think I'll ever be able to stomach anything else again."

I managed a small smile. I actually liked this girl.

Still talking, now with full plates, Rebecca asked us if we wanted to sit with her. We walked up to a table that was occupied by the District 1 and District 2 tributes. As we sat down, I introduced myself, as did Dylan. After introductions, Jacob launched into his plan for the Arena. I listened with rapt attention. At the end of his well thought out plan, he pointed at Dylan and I.

"You and you," he said, pointing at each of us in turn, "I've seen you guys at training. Your knife throwing skills are pretty impressive for people who haven't been trained. Go straight to the Cornucopia and find knives. Stay close and kill anyone who try's to take anything." I nodded in agreement; his plan seemed good to me.

"What district are you guys from anyway?" asked Aline.

"Four," I said, gesturing to the blue dye in my hair. I honestly didn't think it would stay in, even if it was permanent. Atala called the end of lunch and we headed back into the training room. This time I followed Dylan over to the knives.

Later that night, we all sat at the dinner table, enjoying a meal of five different kinds of bread, chicken with multiple barbecue sauces, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. All being me, Dylan, Nalix, Michael, Dylan's stylist, and our mentor, Finnick. Finnick asked what we were going to do for our individual game maker sessions. Dylan automatically responded that he would be throwing knives. I stared down at the plain white bread that sat on my plate; I'd never thought about game maker sessions previously.

"I guess I'll throw knives at stuff. That's the only weapons skill I have," I told them, shrugging my shoulders. Finnick nodded in agreement.

"As long as your good at it."

Right after dinner I dragged myself down the hall and into my room. I barely stayed awake during my shower that made me smell like some type of berry. They have such weird soap in the Capitol. I put on another one of those stupid blue nightgowns and flopped into bed, thoroughly tired from training.

...

So, what did you think?


	4. Wherein I show off my knife skills

Here it is everyone! So sorry about the long wait!

...

I had to wear the same clothes today. Great. Granted, they were a new set of the pants and shirt, but it was still boring. I headed out of my room after brushing my hair and teeth to meet Dylan.

Once we met up, we could head down to the lunch room to wait for our game maker sessions. I looked up at the clock. It read 6:55. Wonderful, I thought, I'm going to be late. I hurried down the hall and just barely saw Dylan sitting on the blue couch in the center of the living room.

"Dylan! What are you still doing here? We're both going to be late now." I exclaimed, while groaning and trying to stop my beating heart. He scared me - I thought I was alone.

"I wanted to wait for you. I don't like being with the other tributes alone." Dylan admitted.

That's odd. "Come on, our sessions are pretty early."

We got there at 7:10 - just as Aline was being called. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God we're not late," I said to no-one in particular. We sat down at an empty table and waited. Dylan was called first and I was alone with all the others. Fifteen long minutes later, my name was called and Dylan came out, looking relieved that he survived the session. The metal double doors slid apart as I walked towards them. Seneca Crane, the head game maker, motioned me into the room.

"You have fifteen minutes, impress us." I nodded and walked towards the knives. I slipped on a vest and a belt of daggers and moved toward the circle of targets. You could still see the holes where Dylan's knives punctured the targets, and they looked pretty good. I took a deep breath and threw the first knife. It landed right in the center of the target farthest from me. I snuck a glance toward the game makers and saw them looking at me, but I had not done enough to truly impress them. This gave me a surge of confidence and within the next fifteen minutes I threw each and every knife in that room, and almost always hit the dead center in my targets. You cannot believe how relieved I was. As a buzzer sounded, signaling the end of my session, a few of the game makers applauded. The head game maker smiled, "You impressed us all." I smiled and walked out of the training room, heart racing and feeling very pleased with myself. It's over. It's over and I did well. They were impressed!

Outside of the room was a hallway that had one door at the end, the door to the elevator. "How do you think you did?" I jumped, not thinking anyone was there. Dylan had been standing next to the door. He probably crept down while I was in.

"Fine, I hope. You?" I breathed.

"Okay. I missed the center a lot but I'm sure I made up for it with strength." I nodded, he probably did make up for it.

When we got to our floor, Finnick was there to greet us. We all went and sat in the dining room where our lunch of sandwiches sat. "Tomorrow are your interviews with Caesar," he said, taking one of the sandwiches and a glass of water. "Each tribute has a way of presenting themselves to the Capitol. We have to figure out how you are going to appear to the Capitol." I was already deep in thought. So far I'd mostly pulled off pretty and sweet.

"So far I've mostly been acting pretty and sweet. That's probably what these pompous idiots want. Pretty and sweet and ready to kill." I mentioned.

"Well," Finnick mused,"That's about right. That's what they want and that's probably what you should act like. Just, don't call them pompous idiots on live television."

"Hey! That's my mastermind plan to earn supporters!" Dylan whined, and we laughed heartily.

Later, after we figured out our strategies, I mentioned the Careers. Finnick told us that was great and it would benefit us, but to be careful. I agreed. He said that when the tributes narrowed down the Careers turned on each other and they were brutal. One year there was a girl who killed the remaining Careers in their sleep. I winced.

After dinner Finnick announced that it was time to see our training scores. We all crowded around the TV and waited anxiously as the Capitol anthem played and Caesar appeared on screen, dressed completely in yellow with matching hair. He was grinning like a madman with his oddly straight teeth as he gave a short speech about how we were scored. Then, scores started to flash by.

Jacob and Aline got tens. Rebecca got a nine. Jordan got an eleven. Caesar's voice echoed out through the room when the scores paused. "It's been a long time since we've seen an eleven! At least thirteen years!" District Three's scores flashed across the screen and then Dylan's appeared. He had gotten a nine. We all applauded the score. My picture appeared on screen followed by the score. An eleven. "Wow! Two elevens in one game! I don't think we've ever seen something like this. These two will be the tributes to beat and they aren't making it easy, teaming up together!" Cheers abruptness throughout the room as I sat there speechless as Dylan hugged me and congratulated me.

Finnick was smiling as he exclaimed, "Do you know how many people will want to sponsor you?"

That night I lay in bed, too excited and scared to fall asleep. That was the highest score District Four has ever gotten that I remember. And there was only one day left before the games. I walked out onto the balcony. The cool night air felt refreshing after being cooped up inside for the past week.

"Congrats fellow eleven!" I looked around, wondering where the voice came from. "I'm down here! Two floors bellow." I walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked down. Jordan was leaning over the edge of the balcony on his floor.

"Thanks! Who knew throwing knives could catapult you up the Capitol popularity scale!" I answered, smiling down.

"Breaking rules, are we. You're not supposed to talk about it."

"No one's here! And technically they never told us we couldn't, it's just assumed." I shot back. "I'm already extremely tired. I have to go to sleep before I fall off the balcony!"

"Meet me out here tomorrow night. Same time." he told me before I turned to go inside.

"Ooh. Breaking the rules, are we?" I mocked, and he snorted disbelievingly. "I will."

...

I awoke to a knock on my door. "Come in!" I yelled. Dylan walked in as I got out of bed. He put on a face of mock horror.

"I think a bird took permanent residence in your hair!" he told me. I grabbed a brush off the bedside table and hit him with it before tackling the blue and brown mess.

"He wants us to get ready this early?" I asked incredulously, assuming it was still morning. Dylan looked at me with an odd expression.

"It's already 2:30. Finnick told me to let you sleep because it's the last time you'll be able to sleep in." He left and I put on a simple shirt and shorts, knowing that Nalix was in charge of dressing me for the interview. I grabbed an apple from a bowl on the table before meeting Nalix at the elevator. We went down to the room where I had gotten ready for the parade. My prep team was waiting for us, and they flocked to me congratulating me on the: "simply wonderful and amazing training score!" Nalix told them to stop chattering, and that we had an interview to get ready for.

They curled my hair and did my makeup. It was all different shades of blue with tan lip stick. When they finished they left and Nalix showed me the dress I would be wearing. It was a fitted, strapless, floor-length dress with a sweetheart neckline. It started at the top with dark shades of blue and got lighter as the dress went down. At the bottom it was different shades of tan, as if to symbolize the ocean and the beach. I put it on and Nalix completed it with tan heels and the thin chain link necklace that I wore for the parade.

I looked in the mirror... and I loved it.

"It's beautiful! I love it!" I told him enthusiastically.

"Well, you look wonderful in it. Now we have to get to the stage. Be yourself," We met up with Dylan on the way. He was wearing a dark blue suit, a light blue shirt, and a tan tie to match my dress. We got backstage a few minutes before the interviews began. They lined us up by District, ladies first, so I was in front of Dylan. We watched from a screen as Caesar walked on stage to cheered from the Capitol, wearing the same yellow outfit from the scores broadcast.

He greeted the crowd and told them how excited he was for this years games. "And this year we have some record breaking scores. Two tributes scored elevens in training. Jordan, from District 2 and Marena, from District 4! Wow, we haven't seen this since, well..." He cut himself off, because we were not allowed to say that. The theater erupted in cheers and I felt a surge of pride race through me. I looked up and saw Jordan silently applauding us. I smiled excitedly and did the same. He caught my eye and grinned.

"Without further ado, let's welcome our first tribute, Rebecca!" I waited backstage, bored, as the interviews went on. Nervousness crept it's way into my head as the District 3 male tribute walked onstage. I was next. The interview ended and I got ready to go on stage. "Here's our second record breaking tribute, Marena Talisa!" I walked on stage masking my nerves behind a smile. I waved at the crowd and went to sit down in the hair across from Caesar. He shook my hand before asking, "Now Marena, how did you feel when you found out you got a record breaking score?" I thought for a minute.

"Well, I felt excited and confident and really, really, shocked. I don't think District 4's ever gotten a score that high," I responded, glancing shyly at the crowd.

"You can't say that anymore now that you've changed it!" He asked me a few more questions, Do you like the Capitol? Any alliances? Do you think you'll win? I answered them all as best I could saying I loved the Capitol, I was working with the Careers, and that I thought I had a very high chance of winning.

"Now I must ask, I think were all curious, is there a boy back home?" There's never been one. I've never really had time for anything other than my family and school. I hesitated.

"There's never been I guy. I guess I've always been really busy helping out at home and with school." Caesar put on a shocked face.

"Are you sure?" I nodded, rather annoyed that this had come to my love interest/life. Seriously?

"Well, win these games and maybe things will change." I agreed with Caesar and then the buzzer went off.

"Let's here it for our record breaking tribute, Marena Talisa!" I walked off the stage to a thunder of applause.

"Good luck," I whispered to Dylan as I passed him, just as he was walking on stage.

When we got back to the District 4 floor, I made myself a cup of hot chocolate and sat on the couch. He got back a few minutes later and we sat and watched all of the interviews.

"Does Caesar seem a little too...perky to you?" Dylan asked as the interviews ended.

"A little? He's crazy!" I laughed, and he responded in like.

"I agree."

"I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be really... busy." I pushed my nervousness away and got up, walking into my room. I sighed, and turned on the shower.

As I tried to wash off all of the makeup, I realized that this could be my last shower for a long time. I took my time, knowing that I had nothing to do.

It was cold out on the balcony so I grabbed a jacket that was hanging in the closet. I saw Jordan walk out of the doors two floors below a few cold minutes later.

"Hey," I called, "How did your interview go?"

"Fine. Everyone seemed to like me well enough because of the training score."

"That's good. Scores will get you sponsors and between that two of us we'll always have what we need in the arena." We talked awhile longer before we both were overcome by tiredness. Tomorrow was our first day in the arena and we had to be ready for it.

But something unnerved me... I was starting to enjoy talking, and flirting, with Jordan.

Not good. At all.


	5. A deserted arena

"One minute until launch. Tributes please enter your capsules." I downed the glass of water in my hand and hugged Nalix.

"Good luck," he wished sadly," I'm sure you won't need it." I nodded, too scared to say anything. I entered the capsule that sat in the corner of the room and the glass door closed around me. I waved to Nalix as I began to rise. A thousand thoughts raced through my head, one being what the arena was going to look like. I was dressed in a black t-shirt and shorts with black boots. It was probably going to be somewhere very hot. I looked up and could now see the bright sun peeking through the roof of the capsule. It rose the last few feet and I emerged into the arena, standing on the metal pedestal.

I blinked a few times before my eyes adjusted to the glaring, brutal sun. The first thing I saw was the looming Cornucopia. It was situated right in front of me and the mouth was full of weapons and supplies. Other things like backpacks and water bottles were scattered around in the sand. Then I noticed the landscape. Sand. Everywhere. We were in a desert. It was piles of sand with almost no disturbances for miles. To the right was want looked like and old town, but I couldn't quite tell; it was miles away. To the left were trees and what I assumed were ponds scattered throughout the landscape. I saw that the other tributes were surveying the land. I found Dylan three tributes to my right and Jordan almost across from me.

"Let the 73rd Annual Hunger Games...Begin!" Boomed a voice out over the entire arena. The clock on the Cornucopia read five seconds.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Free game.

A gong sounded signaling the beginning of the games. I jumped off the platform, racing towards the stack of boxes sitting in front of the Cornucopia. I had seen a vest of knives sitting there earlier. All around me tributes raced for things lying on the ground. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the tributes from the lower districts triumphantly raise a sword that he had plucked out of the pile of weapons, only to be cut down by Jordan. I arrived at the pile and grabbed the vest off and pulled it on. I turned to survey the scene just in time to see someone racing at me with a spear in hand. I whipped out a knife and threw it. I heard the thud as it landed in the boy's skull. I turned away, feeling terrible about what I had just done. I had to. He was going to kill me.

Three killed tributes later, with a total of about 12 dead, the Careers gathered together at the mouth of the Cornucopia.

We waited as the cannons of the twelve dead tributes sounded, one after the other. "Find any supplies that are left out in the sand," Jacob ordered to Jordan and I. "The rest of you. We have to find food, water, sleeping bags, and tents. Go!" Jordan and I walked out into the area surrounding the Cornucopia. All I found was a backpack containing a knife, some crackers, and a water bottle. Jordan found the spear dropped by the first tribute I killed and two more bags.

"Twelve down and twelve to go," Jordan commented as we headed back to the Cornucopia.

"We have some pretty good odds at winning," I optimized as we joined the others and dropped our findings in the piles Aline had made, categorizing weapons, food, and tents. Jacob seemed to be the main leader here as he began outlining the plan for tomorrow, our first full day in the arena.

"Each of us will take a bag and fill it with food and lots of water. You wouldn't want to die a stupid death of dehydration. Bring one weapon each so the other tributes won't gain much if your killed. We'll travel in pairs, Jordan and Marena, you'll go towards the town. Rebecca and Aline, you'll go towards the trees. Dylan and I will go south of the Cornucopia. Meet back here at sunset." We all nodded and began packing up for tomorrow. Sunset was already upon us. I slipped an extra belt of knives into a black bag along with two sleeves of crackers, a package of dried meat, and three water bottles.

I slept fitfully that night, almost scared to go into the village. I had seen at least three tributes run that direction.

...

Jordan stopped at the edge of the town. "We'll rest here for a few minutes before heading in to see if we can find anyone." I nodded gratefully and sank to the ground next to him. I pulled out the second bottle of water in the pack and took a few small sips, knowing that are water stocks weren't large. After eating some crackers and dried meat, Jordan jumped to his feet.

"Come on," he said holding out a hand. I grabbed it and we walked hand-in-hand into the village. Good lord, I hope we will be alright.

I heard steps echoing from one of the buildings and dropped Jordan's hand to grab a knife.

"Over there. Someone's in the building to our right." We walked as quietly as we could up the steps, and I knew the game makers had made everything loud and creaky on purpose. He opened the door to reveal a dilapidated old house complete with pictures on the wall and dusty furniture. I thought I recognized some of the people in one of the pictures and as I stepped closer I realized that those people were my parents.

"Jordan, these are my parents. How did this picture get here?" I remembered that exact picture sitting in the kitchen counter. I reached out to take that picture off the wall; if I won I would bring it back to them. I latched my fingers on to the frame and pulled. The picture didn't budge. I pulled again and this time it moved an inch from the wall.

I heard Jordan frantically yell, "Duck!" I dropped to the floor just as I heard a whistling sound come from the other side of the room. I glanced up just after glass from the frame rained down on me. A sharp knife had lodged it self into the wall behind the picture, shattering the glass and stabbing a large hole in the paper in the process. I got to my feet as Jordan rushed over, looking in horror at the picture next to my parents. The people in the photo must have been his parents. He turned away.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at the pieces of glass that had lodged themselves in my hair. He actually looked concerned, so I looked down.

"I'm fine," I breathed, just as one of the female tributes from one of the lower districts rushed into the room, brandishing a piece of broken wood. I grabbed a knife out of the vest and threw it, stabbing into the girls hand forcing her to drop the piece of wood. She fell to the ground, holding her injured hand to her chest, sobbing as Jordan drew his sword. With one stroke she died fast, with little pain. The cannon boomed for her and we walked out of the house after reclaiming my knife. There were four other buildings in the house and we still had to have time to walk back before sunset. We walked through the other three buildings with no disruptions and were about to enter the fourth when another cannon sounded. I figured it was a tribute one of the other groups had found and killed. Or, at least, I hoped.

There were two floors to this building, it was easily the largest one in the small town. So far it had been devoid of life and empty of all furniture and decorations. As I was walking up the stairs I thought heard voices but there wasn't anyone here. There hadn't been a single noise since we got here.

I was three stairs from the top when I heard a crack and the stairs collapsed. I screamed as I fell into the basement of the house that I had not previously known was there. I collapsed ungraciously in a heap on the floor.

"Hey Jordan!" I yelled up. "Um...I fell through the floor and it looks like there's a basement here!" I heard footsteps running and he called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Is anything down there? Anything we could use?" For the first time I looked at the room. Nothing was down there. Nothing except...

"Well," my voice was shaking,"There's three people. One guy with a sword, one with a knife, and a girl with a club." I hadn't previously seen anyone; they had been hiding back in the shadows.

They advanced forward and I backed up, drawing two knives, one in each hand. As the boy got close enough to swing the sword at me, I spun to the right and brought the knives up. One stabbed down into his left side. He crumpled to the floor in front of me, a look of intense pain on his face.

"Can you handle it?" Jordan asked quickly, but still a bit judging. I looked at the other two who were slowly backing up at the realization that their leader lay dying on the floor.

"Oh yes," I responded, a grim smile on my face. I raised the other knife and they bolted, heading for a staircase that must lead outside. I threw the knife and it thudded into the wall next to the girl's head. I ran forward to pull the knife out of the wall.

After I did I quickly called up to Jordan: "I'm taking the stairs. Meet me out front."

We encountered no one else during the trip back to the camp. It was a long walk and falling through the stairs combined with the heat made it brutal. By the time we got back it was almost sunset and we were both extremely tired from the day. Dylan and Jacob were already there and they had gotten out dinner; dried meat and crackers with water, same as every other meal.

"So," Dylan began as we sat waiting for Aline and Rebecca,"What happened to you guys today?" He looked over at me, suppressing a laugh. I imagined I looked terrible.

"What?" I questioned.

"It's just that...I think you've had better days!" He said laughing. I rolled my eyes.

"You didn't have a pane of glass shatter on your head and then fall through a staircase."

Jacob raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Eventful day?"

"Definitely," Jordan grinned, eyes flashing. He then explained everything that happened including me falling through the stairs, which Jacob laughed heartily at.

"Hey! It's not funny!" I defended, flushing. This may be the Hunger Games, but it's still embarrassing when people laugh at you.

"Oh yes it is," he countered,"You, the highest ranking District 4 tribute in history fell through a staircase and didn't even land on your feet!" Dylan started laughing again and this time Jordan joined in. Just then, Rebecca came running over a sandy hill, out of breath, a bloody gash could be seen on her arm. Jacob stood up.

"Where's Aline?" he demanded. Rebecca stopped to catch her breath, looking down.

"We were attacked at one of the oasis'. There were four of them and they came from behind. I got out but Aline got stabbed in the back before she could even move." I looked down at the bottle of water in my hand as if it could solve all of our problems.

"That's already fifteen dead. These games are going to be short." Jordan stated sadly. Fifteen dead out of twenty four. Two days and there are only nine of us left. Five Careers and four others. We will be splitting up soon.

I stayed awake that night after everyone else had gone to sleep. Only nine left. I had formidable opponents and they were all sleeping a few feet from me. I tried again to sleep, closing my eyes and trying to block out thoughts of today. No result. I was still wide awake, staring up at the starless night sky, the only light coming from the moon. I heard someone move and saw Jordan's eyes, bright against the blackness.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked.

"I killed six people within the space of a day. It's a bit much too much to take in right now." I confessed guiltily.

"It's okay. It's not easy. That boy I killed earlier in the bloodbath, the one from district twelve, he was weaponless, and he looked me in the eye as I killed him." He looked up at the sky.

"Sometimes I wonder why these games exist. Wonder why we have to kill each other. My brother was in the 67th games a few years ago. He was killed in the final battle. The other guy chopped his sword hand off and then cut his throat. When I was called at the Reapings my mother started sobbing. The whole square turned to look at her. It has been years since anyone from District 2 has cried." I couldn't think of a single thing to say so I just sat there with him staring at the blank sky, wondering what was going on outside the arena. Suddenly, Jordan leaned over and kissed me. Now, I know for most people this would be just another kiss, but for me this was my first kiss. I felt my stomach twist into a nervous knot. It was kind of terrible that my first kiss happened in a giant death arena where I would probably be brutally murdered in the next forty-eight hours and not the beach or behind the school, but hey, I didn't care. Jordan pulled back, and I saw he was grinning. I smiled shyly; he looked so happy.

"Let me guess," he stated breathlessly,"First kiss?"

"Yes, though the Capitol is probably very happy right now."

He laughed. "Mine too."

"Really?" He nodded. I laughed and he kissed me again, making my heart pound. Not a minute later I felt someone kick my leg. I grabbed the knife under my make-shift jacket pillow and pulled away from Jordan before getting ready to throw the knife.

"Hey! No need to stab me. I just came to tell Marena that it's her watch. So if you two love birds are done here, I want to go to sleep," Jacob stepped back, sounding amused. I kicked him back before grabbing my jacket and walking towards the mouth of the Cornucopia.


	6. He's gone crazy

When I woke up the next morning, the sun above me was... green. What the heck...? Confused, I sat up and looked around at the others, who seems to be oblivious to it, rolling up sleeping bags and eating breakfast. "Do you guys see that?" I asked, pointing up at the sun. Obviously, they hadn't already noticed because, when I said those words, they all looked up at the green sun.

"That's...odd. It's probably just some game maker trick," Jordan reasoned, turning back to his breakfast after smiling at me. My cheeks burned as I remembered the previous night, making my heart race, and to cover it up I shrugged. These were the Hunger Games after all. Jacob suddenly stood up and looked as if he were about to address us.

"Look," he started, his voice stern and his face an emotionless mask, "there's only nine of us left. It's probably time for us to leave each other." I hadn't thought about leaving yet but, I supposed I'd be safer away from them. Dylan had been acting odd the last few hours, ignoring me and not speaking to us. It would be only a matter of time before he decided to do something rash, and I didn't want to be around when he did. After another breakfast of crackers and water, I grabbed my bag and strode into the Cornucopia. My belt was full of knives, so weapons weren't a problem; it was food I needed. I started opening the silver boxes that littered the floor, in hopes that I would find a nice, steaming plate of chicken and potatoes. My dreams were smashed as I opened the last box, to find that it only held packets of dried fruit. Still, it was an upgrade from crackers. I shoved a few packs of apples and peaches into my bag and turned back to the other boxes. Inside were multiple different tools including shovels, axes, and hammers. It was an odd assortment for the games but anything can be used as a weapon would help me win. Oh God, what about Jordan? I swallowed and shoved the though away. I walked out of the Cornucopia with its weapon lined walls and turned towards Dylan. He was standing just outside the walls, filling his vest with knives from one of the boxes.

"Good luck," I wished, giving him a small smile, "Do you want to walk with me for awhile?" He glanced up, a glare on his face.

"You're on your own. I'm not helping you. You can die for all I care." He growled with a monotonous voice. He turned back to the box of knives and continued to fill the vest. As he did, the collar of his shirt slipped down to reveal two large welts on the back of his neck.

"Dylan, did something bite you?" I asked. Maybe that's what is causing his odd behavior. Worry washed over me. I didn't like the look of those bites.

He stopped stopped moving and told me, "Go away, just leave Marena."

"What the hell happened to you? You weren't like this a few hours ago!" I cried, exasperated. At first he didn't speak, but then he spun around with two long knives in his hand. He pressed one into each of my sides but didn't push hard enough to make a cut. I stood there, terrified, as I waited for him to do something. This was it; the end. I would die by the knife of a boy who I taught how to use a knife. Ironic. But now I was regretting my choice as I stared up at him, heart pounding as neither one of us made a sound. Closing my eyes, I knew that I was going to have to face the tributes I killed soon. But the knives didn't move. His face was all anger, not one single emotion shined through.

"I said leave," he snarled. He dropped the knives, picked up his vest, and walked into the Cornucopia. Something was wrong with him and it most likely had to do with those bites. I swallowed, and stood there in the Cornucopia for quite some time, trying to process what just happened.

It was boiling hot and the temperature was rising as we all prepared to leave. Dylan was back in the Cornucopia. If he stayed there much longer, the heat would kill him. Jacob and Rebecca were talking together as they picked through the silver boxes, and Jordan stood by a pile of swords, trying to decide what was the best choice: light and small or heavy and big. I walked over and stood by him, looking at the assortment of swords. He bent over and picked up two.

"Which one?" he asked. The one in his right hand was longer than the other and was thin, with a honed, serrated edge that looked lethal and frightening. The one in his left was short and thick, with a red hilt that, despite its sharp edge, looked to be more for breaking bones that fore causing cuts like the previous.

"That one," I decided, pointing to the one in his right hand. "You'll get more reach with that one so you won't have to get close to the other tributes." He nodded and threw the other sword back into the pile.

"Good choice, I-" He started his sentence but was cut off by a shriek that came from Rebecca. She had launched herself at Jacob and was trying to stab him with one of the long knives Dylan had dropped.

"Rebecca! What are you doing? I thought-" He was cut off as he jolted to the right to avoid the knife stabbing down at him. I rushed over, quickly followed by Jordan.

"Rebecca! Stop! Stop!" I shouted, grabbing her arm with the knife and twisting it behind her back. Jacob had managed to get up and was holding her other arm. She thrashed in our grip but we held her down, trying to get her to stop. I thought back to Dylan and his rage. "Bites!" I realized, making the connection,"Look for bites." Sure enough, there were the same two large welts on her forearm that Dylan had on his neck.

"What are they?" Jacob inquired, his voice strained from the effort of holding the thrashing Rebecca. I had no clue at all but I gave it my best shot.

"They must be from bugs or something with some type of toxin in there teeth or stingers." I explained with my limited knowledge. He nodded just as Rebecca let loose another string of screams and struggled against us. "What do we do with her? If we let her go, she'll attack us again."

Jacob sat there thinking about those words.

"Jacob, we have to kill her. She's too dangerous," Jordan told us gravely. Jacob looked up.

"I can't do it. She's from my District. You know we hate when our tributes kill each other."

Jordan nodded. I figured it might be the same for his because it was definitely the same in my District. Jordan brought his sword up and Jacob and I let her go, backing away fast. She jumped at Jordan and he swung down at her, slitting her throat cleanly as she charged. Her cannon sounded and we walked away from the body, back towards the Cornucopia. An indent appeared around her in the sand and her body disappeared in a whirlpool of sand.

"I'm leaving guys. Bye," I sighed, not looking at Dylan. Nine moved down to eight.

"I'll go with you, we can walk for awhile," Jordan offered, and a smile came on my face, unbidden. "Well, we should get going." Jordan waved goodbye to Jacob and we stepped out of the Cornucopia and into the sand. We hadn't gone very far when another cannon went off. We whipped back to the Cornucopia, expecting to see Jacob walk out but it wasn't him. It was Dylan.


	7. Almost there

He was holding a long bladed knife in one hand and both of his arms were covered in blood. His face was curled into a snarl and even from here, I could see the rage in his eyes. He turned in a circle, slowly, and then he saw us. His snarl turned into a terrible smile and he stumbled forward before breaking into a sprint towards us.

"Go! We can't fight him!" I shouted at Jordan and we turned back and ran towards the town. The sand made it hard to run in and Dylan was closing in on us. We were almost to the town, not that it would help. The ground seemed a lot softer than the past few days and our feet kept sinking into invisible holes. Dylan was behind us, falling and tripping, but somehow still keeping up. We arrived at the town gate and we sprinted past. "The big house! We can try and hide in there!" Jordan and I raced through the street and barged through the door.

"Upstairs! Maybe the hole will stop him!" Jordan suggested, as I panted. We ran through the dusty rooms, my heart pounding and my lungs burning. Jordan jumped first, then I did. We hid in one of the bedrooms, crouching by the window in case he got in. We heard him running around downstairs and then a bright red light filled the room. I stood up and looked out the window where the source of the light was. I gasped.

"Jordan, you need to see this." Outside, the sky was a mass of red and orange flames. Smoke was starting to billow out and the temperature rose another few degrees. The sun was gone and the only light came from the flames, casting a red glow over the dark arena. I looked up at him as he stared in awe out the window.

"What do you think it is? Nothing like this has ever happened before in the games." I had no clue. Neither did he and we stood there and stared at the smoky sky. We almost forgot about Dylan until we heard the bedroom door bang open, almost falling off its hinges. There he stood, dried blood on his arms, long knife in hand. His eyes were almost completely black and his face was once again a snarl.

"Out the window! Now!" Jordan yelled. He jumped out and landed on the ground, his feet sinking at least half a foot down.

"Marena, come on!" I turned to look at Dylan one last time before following him out the window. I landed and dropped to my knees as my feet sunk. I dragged myself to my feet and heard Dylan cry out, unintelligible words. He threw himself out the window and landed face first in the ground. He laid still for a minute before scrambling to his feet. By that time we were already running. As we ran columns of fire struck the ground all around the sandy plain. They were impossible to predict so we just ran right through the desert, in hopes we wouldn't get hit. Another cannon went off and I jumped at the sound. There could be more tributes like Dylan out there or the flaming columns could have burnt someone. I turned to look back and Dylan seemed to have disappeared.

"I think we lost him," I informed Jordan. "Thank God. Ten more minutes and my lungs would have collapsed." I laughed at him and went to sit next to him when I saw an indent form in the sand. "Jordan, get up. Now." He must have sensed the urgency in my command for he jumped up as fast as he could and came to stand by me. Seconds later, the sand drained away to reveal what looked like a bottomless pit.

"We should keep moving," I decided. We were back to walking. The town was out of sight now. Another cannon had gone off about an hour after the other. They must have been close and struck by a fire column for the scent of burnt flesh was strong. It sickened me that the game makers were doing this.

"Tributes...we regret...error...that means...no one...no survivors." A static sounding voice echoed out and I could barely make out the words he was saying. I heard enough to know what was happening. No survivors. No one was leaving the arena this time. But why?

"We can't get out. What happens if we win? They have to let someone out!" I cried in frustration. I had made it this far and my chances if winning were high. "I don't know. Maybe they'll fix the error they were talking about, there's nothing we can do so we just have to wait and see." Columns of flames continued to rain down everywhere and the fog was getting worse. It was getting painful to breathe in the ash and dust so we were moving slower. Another cannon echoed in the distance. There were five left. The ground began to feel even more hollow as we carried on and pits were forming everywhere. Bottomless holes in the already dangerous terrain. I took a step forward and the ground started to cave. I tried to jump out but it was pulling my leg down and I cried out to Jordan. He had seen what was happening and he grabbed my outstretched arm. At that point I was left dangling in the blackness. "You know," I said as I dangled there,"it would be quite nice if you would pull me up now."

"I was getting there." He pulled me up and we watched as the sand around the hole began to fall. "Really! Again! Come on, before we both get swallowed into a sand pit." We took off, away from the hole. Another cannon sounded and we had heard the screams this time. Four left. We walked and walked to nowhere. There was no way out of the arena and we had nothing to do or eat or drink. Everything was gone except my knives and Jordan's sword. The columns were now just red flashes in the fog which was so thick that you could barely see in front of you. Suddenly, we heard a loud roar somewhere close. Jordan drew his sword and I took out two knives, prepared to do what I could to protect us. It's not really like I could do much, I could barely breath and I had been awake for hours. Shapes began to form around us. Three, I think. They were large, the size of a bear and as they advanced I could see in detail there form.

Each one had spikes running down it's back and was completely black. They were bears, mutations at least, and they had claws bigger than my hand. They circles around us and waited. The first one charged at Jordan and the other two went for me. I whipped a knife into the head of the first and threw the second at the other animal...and missed. It tackled me to the ground, it's sharp claws digging into the skin on my arm. It's breath smelled horrible and it's teeth were large and sharp. Carefully, so it wouldn't notice, I pulled the biggest knife out of my belt. Jabbing upwards, I shoved the knife into its throat and rolled to the right to avoid being crushed. As I had fought the second animal the one with the knife in its head had obviously not died it had charged Jordan and he was forced to fight the two animals alone. I whipped out another knife and threw it at the animals head. This time it died, sinking to the ground. The other bear had knocked Jordan's sword away and he was clawing at him. There were already marks on Jordan's arms and one more swipe would kill him. They were so close together that I was almost afraid to throw but I did. Somehow the knife hit its target and the bear sank to the ground. A cannon went off and I almost thought that it had been Jordan but then he moved, pushing away from the bear. He stood shakily and walked over towards me.

"Three left," he said laughing. "Who will die next?" He brought up the knife as I saw his eyes turn black.


	8. It's over now

There was a large welt on his forehead where the bug must have got him. Laughing, he threw the knife at my head but he was weak from blood loss so it sailed to the left. When he saw it miss he lunged forward. He was fast but not fast enough. I turned and sprinted away as fast as my tired body could.

I loved him. I decide that after he had tried to kill me, which was a bit odd, but I did. As I ran from him, I thought of the times we had talked on the balcony, and the time we had kissed not too long ago. He was different now, because of the bite, but I still saw the same Jordan from the beginning.

I could here him laughing as he stumbled after me. The red flashes had grown more frequent and I was terrified one would hit me as I ran. I tried to push the thought away but it returned each time I saw another flash. I trudged on in the apocalyptic environment even though I knew I would die here.

A red flash touched down next to me and I almost thought it hadn't hit me but the. I smelled the burnt flesh. I took a deep breath and looked at my left arm. From the elbow to my fingers the skin was blackened and burnt.

I collapsed to the ground, the pain finally to much to bear. I was vaguely aware that I heard laughing and screaming and growls in the distance from animals and the remaining tributes. I ignored it all. Another cannon sounded in the distance. Either Jordan or Dylan was now dead.

The tears fell freely now. Jordan was probably dead. My parents would be left alone. I had tried to help Dylan and failed. I let the tears fall as I lay crumpled up in the dust and sand, breathing in lungfuls of ash.

I didn't move when I felt the sand begin to drain away around me. The ground fell out and I tumbled down into one of the dark, black holes.


	9. Realization

div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"When I next woke up I was laying in my bed. Not home, but in my room in the Capitol. I saw that my burnt skin had been partially fixed. The burn was gone but the skin was a dark, mottled red. The bruises from the staircase fall were healed. /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"I got up, grabbed a blue T-shirt and black jeans and went into the bathroom to take a shower. All of my injuries may be almost gone and my skin clean and almost flawless, but my hair was a disaster. /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"I walked out a few minutes later, my blue and brown hair pulled into a bun on the back of my head. I looked in the mirror; I wanted to look presentable when I met everyone. The person that stared back at me was literally a shadow of my former self. I had lost a lot of weight and my eyes looked tried despite the sleep I had gotten. I had the huge scar from the burns on my arm and obviously it will never go away./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"I shook my head and cleared away the thoughts. It was time to go greet everyone, no longer a tribute, now a victor./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" I opened my door into a dark hallway and walked out of it and into the living room. Nalix, Finnick, and Michael were sitting there watching a recap of the games. I walked silently behind the couch and watched./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" There I was, falling through the stairs, kissing Jordan (that was quite embarrassing to watch), staring up at the flaming sky, falling into the pit, getting attacked by the beasts, running from Jordan, and falling into the black hole . It was terrible to watch after already experiencing it once. Tears flowed down my face as I remembered and I leaned on the couch to keep from falling. They all realized I was there after I started to cry. Nalix was the first one up and he rushed over and guided me to the couch. I flopped down next to Finnick and wiped the tears away. Michael sat there, as if he was unsure what to do. Nalix went up to the TV turned it off. Finnick was the only one who said something./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""It's okay," he said,"Give it time, it'll get better." I just nodded and sat there./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""There's one thing I want to know. What happened in the arena? They said there was an error or something and then everything kind of went to hell," I asked Finnick./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""Well, the game makers computers crashed causing the release of the animals and the messed up sky and the holes in the ground," he told me./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""They what! How did that happen?" I asked./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""I don't really know. They called all of the mentors to the game room and explained it to us. They said that none of our tributes would make it out if they couldn't fix the computers."/div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""They were going to leave us to die!?"/div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""No. They were trying to get the computers back online." I didn't believe it, they already wanted us dead. /div 


	10. Home

div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"For me, the train ride seemed to take forever. I even asked Finnick if the train could speed up but he said it couldn't, so I waited. And waited. And waited. /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"After what seemed like hours, the train slowed to a stop. I jumped up from the stuffed arm chair I was sitting in and ran to the window. Outside what looked like half of District 4 was waiting for us. Sure enough, my parents were standing there in the front of the crowd like they said they would. There were no cameras, no Capitol people, and no insane outfits. It was completely normal outside these doors. I could forget about the games until next year when the victory tour came around. I was also told that I would be mentoring next year. Finnick said he would help me but I was terrified. It was almost like holding someone's life in my hands./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"When I walked in front of the doors, they slid open, revealing me to the crowd in all of my blue-haired glory. I stepped down and walked straight to my parents. I was crying as I hugged them. Memories flooded into my head and I cried even harder./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""Marena!" cried my Dad, "Oh Marena! You should her what the people are saying, you gave all of us so much hope." /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;""Come on honey. Let's go home," I heard mom say./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;".../div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"I almost forgot about the Victor's Village. Our new house would be there along with the few other victors. /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"When we walked into the house, we found that there were over ten rooms including four bedrooms, a fully stocked kitchen, a living room with a brand new TV, and three bathrooms. I went straight to the room that I had claimed and fell asleep./div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;".../div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /div  
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"And there it is. The end of part 1. If there were ever any of you that read every chapter, or even read any of it, thank you and I hope to see you read the sequel./div 


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